He said: "Chess is the fairest sport of all, it has no barriers.

"Some of the best players I have coached have come from very disadvantaged backgrounds."

In the planning report, Gormley – famous for his sculpture Angel of the North and the iron men statues on Crosby beach, called Another Place – said: "It’s about people coming together to do something extraordinary and unpredictable. It could be tragic but it could also be funny."

Art student Kate Forshaw, 21, from Southport, will also be among those spending an hour on the plinth.

She said she has not yet decided what she will be doing, but added: "It’s going to have to be pretty monumental."

Kate, who studies painting at Camberwell College in London, said she hoped to use the opportunity to promote her own art, but said: "It’s kind of weird to be doing your own performance art within someone else’s art.

"I’ve had a few ideas which have involved fancy dress.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime – you don’t get this kind of chance again, although the thought of standing on a plinth in Trafalgar Square is very surreal."

The fourth plinth was originally created to accommodate an equestrian statue but because of insufficient funds nothing was ever commissioned.

Now its aim is to raise awareness of art to the public. Works which have been displayed include Marc Quinn’s "Alison Lapper Pregnant" and Thomas Schutte’s "Model For A Hotel".

When the Gormley project finishes a statue of Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park will be displayed for six months.

A 24hr feed will be broadcast at www.oneandother.co.uk.